I have all kinds of dreams, some are super huge, like dreaming of buying a big old building and restoring the whole thing, and others might seem small, like just hearing the voice of a friend who I haven’t seen in forever, but they don’t mean an ounce less to me. So today, as I take some time to reconnect with my own creativity and dreams, I’m sharing some of my thoughts about having dreams, and one of my ‘biggest’, with you.

I’ve noticed that we often regulate, or limit, our dreams, to things that we can somehow imagine being possible. And if we can’t figure out a rational, logical way, in our own mind, that something can happen, then we decide that it isn’t possible and put it into the ‘never gonna happen’ pile in our minds – and hearts. Kind of sad… and kind of stupid, when you think about it, because when has anything ever happened exactly how we imagined it could, or should?

There is also a part of us that seems to randomly decide whether we are worthy of being able to have certain dreams or not. Somewhere along the way we’ve been told that if we don’t ask for “too much”, we’re more likely to get it – and we’re less likely to be disappointed, or hurt. We’ve been taught that certain people get more than others, or deserve more than others. I don’t know about you, but I know a whole lot of not fabulous people who seem to have no problem having a lot of whatever they want. And hello to the final thing I’ll point out, there is also the idea that having a lot is bad, or will make you a bad person. Um, false. I also know a lot of really great fabulous people who have a lot. If you are an asshole you’re going to be one whether you have a lot, or nothing. It’s like magic.

Our dreams are often super personal and it can be a huge deal to share them with anyone. The big ones and the small ones. I shared my big ‘own this building’ dream with some friends as we walked by it one day and not one word out of anyone’s mouth was anything but ‘it’s not possible’. No one was intentionally trying to invalidate me or my dream that day, but I realized in that moment just how impossible we think a lot of things are.

It’s been a few years since I first saw this building in my neighborhood, I fell in love with it the minute I saw it and can imagine transforming it into something amazing.

To a lot of people it just looks run down and beyond hope, but I can totally see it’s potential. And someday, when it’s mine, I’ll transform it and show everyone just how spectacular it can be.

I also really love the seemingly impossible real life stories that get made into books and movies. And to be honest, when I’m feeling like maybe I’m wanting too much, that my dreams are maybe too big, these stories help me clear away the doubt and get back in touch with my imagination, my dreams, and my certainty about what’s possible – especially when I have no idea how it could happen.

Two of my favorites are “The Pursuit of Happyness” and “Catch Me If You Can”. They are very different stories, but both are very powerful, and true. (And both books are better than the movies.)

In a way, for me at least, the best dreams are the ones we can’t necessarily figure out. They require more trust, and more certainty, and they turn on our imaginations and they turn up our idea of what’s possible even when we can’t figure it out… of what could happen. We just have to remember to be open so that when they show up we can say yes and thank you and really have it. Because we are all worthy of every one of our dreams, no matter how big or crazy it might seem to anyone else.